As the fall weather finally rolls in…so are the Crockpo  recipes!  A few nights ago we enjoyed this wonderful “new for us” version of chicken chili.  I will admit, when my husband sat down at the table and looked in his bowl, he looked at me like I was crazy, but after the first bite, he was definitely enjoying this new creation.  We even joked about the soup later on while we were doing the dishes that the consistency and appearance reminded us of something that would have been on the old Nickelodeon show where you get “slimed”with gross food.  

I got the recipe from Plain Chicken and I followed the recipe exactly…but added about a cup of chicken broth.  The soup smells and tastes great even if your family turns their nose up at the way it “looks” like my husband did, I definitely recommend trying it!  You can also check out my favorite "go to" chicken chili recipe here.

I love Mexican food! I grew up in Colorado but we were nearly famous for our Mexican food restaurants!  Being in the
military brings many new residences every few years and that brings about new social spots, restaurants, shopping, etc.  My husband and I always make it a point to find a good Mexican food restaurant when we get all settled into our new area. Well, Tampa has a lot of great eating spots, but the best Mexican food we have found is nearly 45 minutes away! Sure, there are “decent” places here and there, but nothing we get a craving for.  

Sooo, I have made it my mission to find the best “make it at home” Mexican food.  We enjoy our regular taco night, have chicken enchiladas quite often, and smothered burrito’s once in a while, but I am always looking for something different, something tasty but quick and easy!  Well, I tried this new recipe Smothered Colorado Burritos…I’m not sure why they are named after Colorado…but they were very good!  

I tweaked the recipe a little bit, but I definitely encourage you to try these out. Throw it all together in the morning and have a home cooked meal in the evening!  I served mine with vermicelli, but you could do any Mexican themed side dish!
  
1 ½ to 2 pounds of stew meat or steak cut into strips
1 can of red enchilada sauce (I used to 14 oz cans)
2 beef bouillon cubes (I used an organic bullion type cube that I had, 2 of them)
1 batch of Homemade Refried Beans (you can use a can if you don’t make your own)
5 – 7 tortillas
Shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack)


Cooking Instructions from Chef in Training
Put beef pieces into crock pot.
Top with crushed bouillon cubes and enchilada sauce.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until meat is very tender.
When beef is done (very tender and flakes off when stirred), taste and add more salt, if desired.
Make sure beans are warmed through. You can use canned refried beans or the recipe I provided you with.
Smear about 2 heaping spoons worth of beans on to the center of each tortilla.
Add about 1/2 cup of beef, give or take, and roll into a burrito.

Place burritos into a greased 9x13 baking pan until it fills the pan. Pour some of extra sauce over the tops of the burritos to smother them. 
Place cheese on top.
Broil until cheese becomes bubbly, approx. 2-4 minutes.
This recipe makes about 5-7 burritos depending on how big you make them


ENJOY!!

**The gluten free version to this would be to use gluten free tortilla's and ensure that you you are using gluten free sauce and gluten free beans.  When I make Jaxon's refried beans, I soak the pinto, then cook them in the slow cooer all day with a little chicken broth and cocnut oil.  Then I mix in some seasonings and mash.  **

Good Ole’ Tschikof Family Chicken Chili (a staple meal in our house).  I had to type this up for a friend this weekend so I figured I might as well post it, right!  There are two ways to cook this…slow cooker for an easy throw it in in the morning and come home to a meal…or my usual...”I forgot to thaw something out so what in the heck am I going to make” quicker meal…either way is great!

Slow cooker  version…
Chicken breasts/tenderloins (basically any bone-free chicken you want to use)…throw it in (frozen or uncooked)
2 cans of any white beans you have, I like to use 1 can of great northern and 1 can of pinto1 can of chopped green chili’s (we roast our own every year and then freeze them but the can is good too)
16 Oz. chicken broth…there are many different GF versions out there (eyeball it, you want enough juice to cook the chicken)
Small chopped onion (optional of course)
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp coriander
I like to put the chicken on the top so I can pull it out easily at the end and shred it…then put it back in.

Cook on low for about 7 hours or on high for about 4 hours (times will vary).  At the end of cooking time, pull the chicken out and shred it up with two forks and stir it back in.  I like to serve mine with some cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips (crushed) on top but you could also use Fritos.  

For the not so slow version, just cook your chicken first (I cook mine with a little water in the frying pan) and then add all the ingredients into a big pot and boil.  Enjoy!

Pulled Pork Tacos and Spanish Rice

1 pork roast
1 can rotel (you can use salsa, spicy rotel, mild rotel, or chilis in adobo sauce)
Shake or two of salt and pepper
Cook roast on high for 4 hours and then turn down to low and cook for another 5-6 hours until it will pull apart with a fork.
Once the pork is cooked, take it out and put it in a bowl or on a cutting board, shred the pork. Strain the rotel or salsa (not the
chilies if you used those) and set aside for rice.

Spanish Rice
1-2 cups of cooked rice (depending on how many people you are feeding)
1 can tomato sauce
Strained rotel or salsa
Put all ingredients in a frying pan and cook on low until heated through, you can add garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
Pico de gallo
2-3 tomatoes diced
1 avocado diced
1 lime cut in half (squeeze juice from both sides)
Handful of cilantro chopped
½  jalapeno chopped (you can use more if you want it spicy)
1/8 cup of diced red onion

Mix all together and add a little salt.
Serve with soft corn, hard shell, or soft shell taco’s!

 Enjoy!!

Growing up in Colorado is wonderful, I could go on and on about how much I love Colorado.  Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, the weather is beautiful, the leaves are amazing, and the crock pot comes out!!  Living in Florida I have learned to “pretend” that we are having fall weather which would warrant “fall cooking” even when it is 90 degrees outside and feels like a sauna.  

Today we had a very nice (from the inside) overcast day and I was able to daydream and “pretend” we were having a beautiful fall day.  I quickly threw a new recipe in the Crockpot (Crockpot Potato Soup) and lit some pumpkin candles and enjoyed the day!  
 
To my surprise (no, it really was a huge surprise) Brent tells me that he can’t remember EVER having potato soup as he spooned his first bite of my dinner into his mouth!  I swear that in the 12 years we have been married I have made potato soup before, but maybe not…Anyway, he claimed to love it, he even told me that it was a recipe I should definitely make again, this is a huge compliment coming from him.  He will never tell me that he doesn’t like something, but he usually doesn’t ask me to make things again unless he really likes them!  
 
In any case, I recommend you cook up some of this delicious potato soup for your next comfort meal, or for on a lazy Saturday afternoon!  There are tons of different ways to modify it, but even if you follow the recipe you won’t be disappointed!

Another great Crockpot Soup Recipe I recently made was this Guinness Beef Stew served with some warm rolls!